Tri-City Ledger -

Two women jailed for employee theft

Accused of cashing in customer accounts

July 26, 2018

Two Century women are facing felony theft charges after an investigation prompted by their employer revealed the two employees had been creating accounts with fictitious names in order to apply customer reward points to take possession of products or take possession of currency equal to the amount of assigned points.

Teresa Lachelle Burt, 41, 60 W. Pond Street, and Latoya Trenise Washington, 31, 50 Zion Street, were each arrested and charged with two counts felony theft when investigators utilizing activity reports from Fusion Liquors, Inc. in Century discovered accounts created using fictitious names or that the accumulated points customers earn when they purchase products were applied to friends and family of the suspects, according to an Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office report.

When a customer makes a purchase at the store, each dollar spent equals one point. Each one point accumulated is valued at 5 cents, and 10 cents on Tuesdays. As points accumulate with every purchase, customers can choose to redeem the points for money or apply them toward products for purchase.

Each employee must reconcile the business's daily transactions by either taking products or money, according to the reward points system, according to the report. Investigators discovered the accounts were created and products or money was taken by the suspects between Jan. 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018, when they were employed at the business, the report said.

Law enforcement could not determine whether the suspects took product, money, or both, based on evidence of daily transaction reports. The totals law enforcement allege Burt took $2,178 between Sept. 1, 2017 and May 13, 2018 and Washington took $923 between Sept. 5, 2017 and March 23, 2018, the report said. A judge ordered that both suspects are to have no contact with Fusion Liquors, Inc. or each other.

Both suspects were arrested July 23 and transported to Escambia County Jail and given a bond of $7,500.